Faces of Resettlement

The Faces of Resettlement video, which runs 10 minutes, features the stories of five individuals who entered the United States as refugees and who are making positive contributions to their communities. Told in their own voices, the video highlights the resiliency that characterizes refugees’ journeys of fleeing their homelands and rebuilding their lives in cities all across the United States. Faces of Resettlement also includes interviews with receiving community members who have been deeply touched by the friendship and contributions of their newest neighbors.

Reflection Questions for Community Members:

What reason did each individual give for leaving his/her home country? Imagine that it was no longer safe for you to live where you are now. What would you have to consider as part of your decision to leave? What would you worry about? What would you look forward to?

Zaw and Adam say that they had no choice but to leave their country, which they loved, to find safety in the United States. In what ways can a person honor where they, or their ancestors, came from and at the same time respect and value the country that is now home?

Carla says that before meeting Laetitia, she was unaware of the changes that take place in a refugee’s life. What types of changes do refugees experience when beginning their new lives in the United States? Think about a time in your life when you faced any kind of change. What services, if any, did you access? In what ways did others around you make your adjustment to the change easy or challenging?

Laetitia says that coming to the United States was like having a second chance at life. Zaw and Montaha talk about the opportunities they had in the United States. What are some examples of these second chances and opportunities that they mention? What are other opportunities that the United States offers to people who live here?

Carla and Andrea talk about the ways in which refugees enrich the communities that they reside in. What are some ways that were mentioned in the video? How have refugees, or others from different backgrounds than your own, impacted your community or life?

This video was produced with funding from the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM).